Omega
by SUPERIOR WOLF
Summary: Ichika sacrifices himself to save the entire IS Academy. A year later, a new threat becomes known to the world, but it is not a threat to the world itself; it is a threat to Phantom Task. Summaries suck. Just read and find out.
1. Note 1 - My Story

Hey, I'm SUPERIORWOLF. I'm not knew here, but I haven't been on all that much either. This also is not my first story. Due to some complications with my family, I entered a depression and deleted my previous story. But, I feel fine now, and feel like taking up my creative fanfic writing hobby again. So sorry for any mistakes, errors, or confusion in advance. I'm by no means a professional writer, nor do I want to become one. But I do like friendly advice, so please feel free to leave comments or messages that could help me improve my writing skills and the story itself. I would appreciate it greatly.

Now then. I want to clarify some things about my story.

1. Yes, it will be a harem fic, but not until later in the fic.

2. Chifuyu and Ichika are NOT biological brother and sister in my story, and has a different past accordingly.

3. I might have the characters use some profanity. I may have blood and gore. I could have some sexual content later on. Maybe. I don't know. Read at your own risk. Most of you are big boys and girls anyhow.

4. I do not plan on updating at regular intervals. It will be at my own discretion when I update.

5. The story is not canonized. I will make up parts of the story as I go, but I do have an overall plan for it.

6. I do not own IS Infinite Stratos. Yumizuru Izuru has ownership rights.

Alright, I think that covers everything. Please let me know your thoughts on the story once I get to publishing the chapters. Honest opinions really help, but please don't be too harsh. Thank you. :)


	2. Prologue - Where it Ended and Began

_The sun began to turn into a lustrous ball of orange as it descended from the sky toward the horizon._

_The golden sunset was truly a breathtaking sight that would only last a short while longer._

_A few minutes later and the sky began to darken, beckoning the lights of the city to flicker on._

_Although not huge like Tokyo or Kyoto, the city was quite expansive, with skyscrapers in the center and assorted residential housing further out from the epicenter._

_Walking through one of the city streets on his way home was a young boy of 10 or 11._

_He was tall for his age, dark, but fair skin, straight black hair that came to his eyes, and deep brown eyes._

_He wore the customary young boys' school uniform, and over his shoulder was a knapsack that was weighing him down._

_*sigh* he let out a sigh of exhaustion and frustration. "Soo... heavy..."_

_He stopped at a street corner and let his bag fall to his side, and he immediately began to take shallow breaths of air from his exhaustion._

_All of this homework is insane," he said while taking a drink from some bottled water he retrieved from his bag, "but, at least I got most of it done at school."_

_In truth the time was close to 6:00 pm._

_He had stayed late in order to do his homework at school instead of at home so he could receive help from the teachers who had stayed behind after the bell had rung._

_But why would he need to stay at school for help if he could come home and ask for help? Well the answer is simple..._

_He reached his house and used his key to open up the door._

_"I'm home!" he said cheerfully with a light smile._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Silence was the only greeting he received._

_His bright smile turned into a depressed frown, and he walked inside the house, closed the door behind him, kicked off his shoes at the door, and went into the living room._

_The house itself was simple with little furniture or design._

_It was a single story with a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and two bedrooms._

_The living room consisted of a television, sofa and a table._

_The kitchen contained a sink, dishwasher, stove, microwave, oven, and dining table._

_The bathroom simply had a sink countertop, toilet, and bathtub._

_Both bedrooms had a single bed, and were devoid of anything else._

_The only difference was that one bed looked like it was used more often than the other._

_The boy dropped his backpack on the living room table and sat down on the sofa._

_He sat there, his face hung low, until a tear streaked down his cheek._

_"Why..?"_

_The tears began to flow down his cheeks now as he tried his best to keep his composure._

_"Why..? Why am I always alone..?"_

_This was the reason why he stayed at his school late; there was no one for him to come home to that could help him._

_He had never known his parents._

_Even his uncle, who had raised him until he was of a decent age, never told him about his parents._

_When he reached the age of 8, his uncle brought him at this small household, an extra that he had on hand._

_His uncle, though a prosperous realtor, had no time to properly care for the boy, so he taught him the basics of how to take care of a household and how to provide for oneself, and then left him at this house._

_Since then, he has come home to an empty house every day._

_*sniffle* ... *sniffle* ..._

_Wiping the tears from his face, he opened his backpack and began to work on his homework for school tomorrow._

_"... This is just how it is, I suppose..." he said gloomily._

_And with that, he put his pencil to the paper and began to work on his assignment._

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

*gasp!*

Ichika Orimura sat up in his bed with a jolt, and wrapped his arms around his body slowly.

He had a cold sweat and was shivering slightly.

_'Nightmares again,'_ he thought.

He had been experiencing dreams about his past almost nightly now.

He hated thinking about how lonely he really was back then, and every time he did think about it, he would enter a depression and not snap back out of it until almost an hour later.

He shook his head, got out of bed and stood to stretch.

_'It's only a dream... I'm not lonely anymore,'_ he thought with a smile.

Since coming to IS Academy, he had met so many friends and people that he sincerely cared about wholly and equally.

Houki, Ling, and Ran, his friends from his elementary and middle school days.

Cecilia, his fellow classmate and trusted acquaintance.

Charlotte, his ex-roommate who originally came to the academy disguised a boy.

Laura, his rival turned friend that he saved during a tournament.

Tatenashi and Kanzashi, the sisters that have grown attached to him in their own ways.

Chifuyu, who adopted him as a surrogate little brother.

He really felt lucky to have such amazing and caring people in his life.

At one point, there was even talk amongst the government about him having to take multiple wives in order to genetically pass down the trait for male IS piloting skills.

_'That was rather embarrassing...'_ he thought with a blush while the water from his dorm shower washed over his body.

_'... Although,' _he pondered to himself, _'it doesn't sound bad...'_

He had considered the idea of having a lot of wives after the talks from the government.

In truth, he did not know how to react to the idea.

A normal man would probably be ecstatic at the thought of having multiple women.

_'But I'm also not a normal man...'_

Aside from being the only male known to pilot an IS, he was not a pervert by any means.

If anything, he believed in treating women like people and not like objects.

He tried his best to do what he thought was right, and felt terrible if he hurt someone's feelings somehow.

These characteristics were a few among many reasons for why so many heroines had fallen for him.

The only thing he did not have was a common sense and understanding of women, which is almost permissible given his lonely past where contact with the opposite gender only occurred at school and every once and a while outside of school.

Nevertheless, it has caused him trouble before with all of his female friends.

_'I wonder what they all think about it...'_

Completely oblivious to their true feelings, in the depths of his heart he liked all of the girls that had major roles in his life.

The problem was, he had no idea how to choose one over the other, so he never showed favoritism to any of them.

_'They'd probably all kill me if I talked to them about it...'_ he thought as he brushed his teeth.

He spit into the sink and stared at his face in the mirror.

"Would they even like someone like me...?"

...

...

"Ghaahhh... It's no use thinking about that at a time like this."

he shook his head and let a small smile grace his lips.

"I don't have to think about things like that for a long time now."

And with that, he finished getting his uniform on, and left his dorm for morning classes.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

"Hey Houki, did you hear that there is a surprise tournament being held today?" asked Charlotte.

In Class 1 - A, homeroom was just about to begin and all of the students were coming in a little at a time.

As usual, the first year personal IS pilots of the class were all gathered and talking amongst one another happily.

Among them were Charlotte Dunois, Cecilia Alcott, Laura Bodewig, and Houki Shinonono.

Charlotte Dunois was a girl of fair skin, golden blonde hair that she tied back a band into a tail, and violet eyes. Her outfit was a variant of the school uniform, consisting of a miniskirt and long sleeved blazer.

Cecilia Alcott wore her blonde hair long a flowing, which really went well with her light skin tone. Her uniform was also a variant; a long skirt with a long sleeved blazer.

Laura had silky silver hair to match her fair skin, coupled with a deep beautiful red eye on her right side and an eye patch on her left. Her uniform was the long sleeve blazer and blazer pants variant.

Houki had long brown hair tied neatly with a white bow, and her light skin and beautiful appearance was often cut short because of the frown she almost always had on her lips. Of the four, her uniform was not a variant of any kind.

"Howooh! There's a tournament?" she asked back.

"Yes. Word is that it is because the school plans to evaluate all of the students," Cecilia replied curtly.

"I see. That would make sense," Laura added as well.

"Umm.. I-Is it a team tournament?" Houki asked, a light blush on her face.

All of the girls understood her motives behind asking: Ichika.

All of them - the personal IS pilots - had a crush on him.

All of them together had created a sort of harem amongst themselves indirectly.

They all had feelings for the hopeless man that he was, and tried their best to get his affection.

But, sadly, his skull was thicker than a boulder when it came to understanding a woman's feelings.

Nevertheless, they all remained determined to get through to him.

But anyways, back to their conversation . . .

"Um... I don't know for sure, since it's still just a rumor," Charlotte replied.

"Is that so..?" Houki said as she deflated for a moment.

"If it is, then who should pair up with him?"

Cecilia was the one who asked, and all four girls just stared at one another.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Then all at once, they shouted.

""""I WANT TO!""""

"Hey! I suggested it, so I should get to be with him!" Houki argued.

"That's not fair!" Charlotte said back.

"Indeed! I, Cecilia Alcott, should be the one to team up with Ichika."

"It is only natural for a husband and bride to fight side by side."

"""No it's not!"""

"Is it now?"

"Of course it isn't! And you aren't his husband!" Houki said to Laura.

"Good morning girls."

""""AHH!?""""

While they were arguing, Ichika had walked in the classroom and came up to the four of them.

"What were you talking about just now?" he asked.

"N-Nothing!"

"Not at all!"

"T-That's right!"

"A bride should not ask such rude questions."

Houki, Charlotte, Cecilia, and Laura all denied everything.

"Huh?" was the ever-so-smart response from Ichika.

_*ding* *dong* *ding*_

The morning bell rang, and everyone began to rush to their seats.

Entering the room was Maya Yamada, the co homeroom teacher of Class 1 - A.

Her appearance featured a yellow dress and glasses, with shoulder length green hair.

Aside from that, she looked rather shy, cute, and clumsy.

Coming in behind her was the other homeroom teacher, Chifuyu Orimura.

A woman of hardened character and willpower, she wore a business suit with a green tie, had long black hair that flowed down to her hips, and a stern expression that could scare nearly anyone.

"Good morning class," Chifuyu began. "As some of you may have heard, there will be a tournament held this afternoon to evaluate your progress with IS."

"It will be a tag team tournament, and the winner will receive a month's worth of lunch coupons."

The classroom started to liven up at the sound of the prize.

Though, certain members of the class were livened up for other reasons.

"The tournaments will be held in two separate arenas; one for personal IS pilots, and one for normal pilots."

"Rules for tournaments still apply. Once your shield energy reaches zero, you are eliminated from the tournament. Also, no attacking a defenseless person in a downed IS."

"Alright, that is all. Any questions?"

"""..."""

"Good then. Yamada-kun."

"Yes, Orimura-sensei! Okay class, today we are going to talk about..."

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

"Alright, so how are we going to decide who gets to be with Ichika for the tournament?"

This was the question asked by Ling at the lunch table where all of the first year personal IS pilots had assembled.

Realizing that it would not be of any use to fight over him, the only way to resolve the issue was to find a fair and reasonable way to do it.

And, as a result, they were starting to toss around ideas of how to choose.

"We should have a race through the obstacle course." Laura suggested.

"We have an obstacle course?"

"I can have the Schwarzer Hase set one up immediately."

"Ah, let's not do that." Charlotte told her with a bead of sweat on her head.

"We should... do something that's... fair for everyone..."

"Good idea Kanzashi-san! How about we all draw straws?" Cecilia suggested.

"Done."

Laura had taken a napkin from the table and had drawn a perfectly straight line in the middle of it with a pen.

"Uh, that's not what I meant."

"What she means is we'll get six straws for each of us here, and make one a different colored tip at the bottom than the others." Houki clarified.

"Ah, I see. That makes sense."

"Mhm! So let's all choose a straw!" Ling said with enthusiasm.

Each of them slowly pulled out there straw from the cup provided until no more straws were left.

"Yes! I get to be with Ichika!" Houki said happily.

"Aww, Houki-san got the lucky draw.." Charlotte said.

"I demand a redraw!" Cecilia argued.

"No way! I won fair and square."

"Hey guys. What's going on?"

"""KYAAAAA!?"""

Once again Ichika had snuck up on all of them (unintentionally) and scared them all.

"What's wrong?"

"""Nothing!"""

"Is that so? Then can I sit and each lunch with you?"

"Never mind that. Rather, Ichika..." Houki began and then became quiet after.

"Hm? Houki?"

"W.. w... w-w-will you team up with me for the tournament!?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

"Really!?"

"Yeah. Sounds like fun."

"G-good then! Be sure to be there at the start of the tournament. No backing out on me!"

And with that Houki got up and left lunch, humming happily to herself all the way out of the cafeteria.

"She's in a good mood, wouldn't you say?" Ichika said jokingly to the remaining ladies.

Instead of a warm reply he received piercing glares from all of them that sent chills down his spine.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Ichika, you idiot!"

"You have no sense!"

"You really make me feel bad sometimes.."

"You fail as a bride."

"..."

Those were the replies from Ling, Cecilia, Charlotte, Laura, and Kanzashi.

"Huh!?"

Ichika just stared incredulously at all of them and let out a deep sigh.

_'I'll never truly understand women...'_ he thought in his mind.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

The tournament is only a few minutes away from beginning.

The match ups for the personal IS tournament were Houki - Ichika, Cecilia - Charlotte, Rin - Laura, and Kanzashi - Tatenashi.

No one felt like they really had a chance against the student council president, but Tatenashi had already assured them that she would restrain herself as much as she could.

Despite having a strong opponent potentially, the teams were all pumped up and ready to begin.

"Hey Houki, are we going to follow the plan?"

Contrary to what many people believe of his intelligence, Ichika had come up with some strategy in case of tag team tournaments.

Of all the combinations he had with all the personal IS girls, his teamwork with Houki was the simplest, but also probably the best.

Their plan was essentially a vice grip, a feint really. One of them would push the enemy back and the other would swoop around while they were distracted to attack.

On top of that both Byakushiki and Akatsubaki had melee and ranged attacks that could be utilized at a moment's notice.

One of them could get up close and personal while the other provided covering fire.

"Yes, let's do the vice and if we run into difficulties, we'll improvise."

"Okay. You ready?"

"Mm."

"Look, there are the match-ups."

The holographic screen displayed the pictures of the competitors and who they would be pitted against.

In the first match it was Houki and Ichika against Cecilia and Charlotte, and the second match was Kanzashi and Tatenashi versus Rin and Laura.

"Ha! Looks like we won't have to fight with Tatenashi-senpai first!"

"Yeah, it looks that way."

"Well, our match is first. we should go get ready."

"Yes. See you in the arena."

Then they both went to their launch platforms and activated their own individual ISs.

They positioned themselves on the launcher and once in place, both of them began to accelerate until they cleared the outside platform and flew into the air above the arena.

Once outside, they descended to their side of the stadium across from their opponents.

Cecilia outfitted with Blue Tear and Charlotte in her Rafael Revive Custom II stared down the two of them.

It was apparent that they were ready to begin.

[Match will begin in ten seconds.] came Chifuyu's voice over the loudspeaker.

"Good luck, Houki-san, Ichika-san."

"You will need it to beat us."

Charlotte and Cecilia taunted.

"We shall see about that!" Houki said with a fire burning in her eyes.

[Begin!]

Once Chifuyu's voice rang, Ichika used _Ignition Boost_ to quickly close the distance on Cecilia.

"No you don't!" shouted Charlotte as she got between him and Cecilia and began firing her submachine gun _Garm_ to slow him down.

Ichika activated his _Setsura_ and transformed it into an energy shield. and continued to charge until his blade _Yukihira Nigata_ made contact with the Rafael Revive's sturdy armor, forcing the two of them into a stalemate.

"Got you!"

Cecilia circled around from Ichika's side and fired laser bullets from her rifle _Starlight Mk. III_.

Ichika changes the direction of his _Setsura_ shield in the direction of Cecilia to deflect the damage, but his shields are failing steadily.

Just then Cecilia received an energy slice from her side, and Cecilia was forced back by a charging Houki.

"Thanks Houki! Now then, I'm sorry Charlotte, but I have to do this."

He transformed his _Setsura_ into a gigantic claw and charged it with energy for a finishing strike.

"Not if I can help it!"

Charlotte detached her armor around her strongest weapon _Shield Pierce_ and thrust it at Ichika.

Both of their attacks collided at the same time, and caused a huge explosion on the floor of the battle field.

Houki and Cecilia both halted their engagement for the time being to see who was still standing.

As the smoke cleared both of them were still standing uneasily, but _Setsura _and _Shield Pierce_ were in shambles.

But suddenly...

*WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIROOOOOOOOOOOOO* *WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIROOOOOOOOOOOOO*

"Huh? What's going on? Ichika asked.

[The academy is under attack. Return to the hangars immediately.]

"Attack!? Is it Phantom Task?" Cecilia questioned.

The evil organization that had no clear objective other than stealing many types of IS.

Their attacks have been more and more frequent throughout the end of the year.

Of the many things they have tried to take, the most notable was Ichika's Byakushiki and the valuable data it contained.

"There they are!" Houki shouted.

The combatants looked up at the invisible shield dome around the arena, and standing on the surface were three unknown IS pilots.

One of them pulled out a device and attached it to the shield, and instantly energy field around the stadium began to break apart.

Once there was enough space to safely enter, the three of them flew into the arena and hovered above the four pilots.

"Byakushiki. Come with us." the middle IS pilot spoke.

"Like hell I will!"

"If you resist, we will have no choice but to hurt you and your friends."

"I won't allow that to happen!"

"Very well."

She signaled to both of the other pilots, and they both materialized a rocket launcher on their shoulders and fired at the two girls in the air.

"That's _Rapid Switch_!" Charlotte exclaimed as Cecilia and Houki dodged both of the rockets. But-

"Charlotte! Look out!"

Ichika dove to cover Charlotte just before both rockets impacted close to where they were.

They were projected away from the force of the explosion and landed against the wall of the arena with a thud.

Ichika shook the dizziness from his head and looked down at Charlotte who was being held in his arms.

"Charlotte! Charlotte! Wake up!"

_'Damn, it's no use. She's unconscious..'_

He looked up at the three unknown pilots and saw how they remained stationary while firing their weapons the entire time.

He began to formulate a plan.

"Houki! Cecilia!"

Catching their attention, they retreated from the three pilots to regroup with him.

"Cecilia, follow our lead. Houki, we're going to do the vice."

""Roger!""

All three of them took off simultaneously and encircled the three pilots by quite some distance.

Then, Houki charged in with her dual blades _Amatsuki _and _Karaware_.

Prepared, one of the three fired a rocket to intercept her, but it exploded short after coming into contact with a laser blast.

"Gnhh! You pest!" she shouted angrily.

Cecilia just gave a confident smile in return.

Unable to reload fast enough, she broke from their formation in full retreat of Houki.

"Got you."

"Shit!"

Ichika had circled around and was now behind her.

Thanks to Houki and Cecilia, she left her back completely off guard for an open attack.

He took _Yukihira Nigata_ in both hands and cleaved a chunk of her armor off, including her _PIC_ controls.

She fell out of the sky awkwardly, hitting the arena floor with a loud thud and passing out form the impact.

"That bastard!" the second girl muttered with hate, "I'll capture him myself!"

She charged him head on, intending to use her launcher for a single, point-blank KO.

Blinded by her sudden anger, she forgot about the pilot in blue directly above her position.

"My, you are quite hasty. This is it for you though," Cecilia said as she deployed her _BIT_s and fired a concentrated burst that had a direct impact on her suit.

"No... I'm going to get you even if I go down.." she said, and pressed on further.

"Houki!"

"Got it!"

Houki appeared right above her in an instant, both swords glowing brightly in her hands.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAYAA!"

The pilot could only stare in shock as Houki generated a shockwave from both swords at extreme close range to hit the woman and force her to the ground, depleting her shield energy.

"Alright! Good job Houki! Cecilia!"

"I-I-It was nothing."

"T-Thank you."

They both replied shyly.

"How disappointing. I guess I have no choice."

They all turned to the final member of Phantom Task left to defeat.

She had two round, white orbs in her hands.

She held them out stretched in the direction of Houki and Cecilia, and with speed faster than anything they had ever seen, the orbs were propelled from her hands and came into contact with Blue Tear and Akatsubaki.

"GYAAAAAHH!"

They both screamed as electricity began to arc around their ISs.

A moment later, they both fell out of the sky and hit the ground standing straight up, but unable to move any further.

"... ! You!... What did you do to them!?" Ichika shouted angrily.

"They have simply been immobilized. It's a new invention developed by our benefactor that effectively stops all transmission of a IS."

"What!? Such a thing exists!?"

"Yes it does. I was planning on using it on you, but your friends are rather bothersome. So, I'm going to give you a choice."

"A choice?"

"You can come with me willingly, or..."

She pulled out a remote control switch and showed it to him.

"I press this button, and this school gets blown away by the missile we have on standby."

"You wouldn't! That's dirty!"

"Quite frankly, I don't care. Now come with me."

Ichika hung his head trying desperately to think of a way to get out of this situation.

He did not have the time to think of another way out, and if he did not do anything, she would launch the missile anyways.

_'Ughh.. What do I do!?'_

"Don't do it Ichika!"

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head in the direction of Houki.

"Don't go with her!" she said with a determined look in her eyes.

"Houki..."

He stared at her briefly, and saw that determination to not give up.

He gave an assuring smile and looked back up at the woman.

"I will not come with you! Nothing you say can change my mind! Also, I'm going to take you down!"

He smiled, feeling like he made the right choice.

He had to bring her down to save his friends.

That's all he wanted; to be able to protect those precious to him.

The pilot's face showed indifference for the longest time.

A minute passed.

Then two.

_'Maybe she was bluffing?'_ Ichika thought.

"How foolish.." she said unhappily and pressed the button.

Far off in the distance, many miles away from a military gunship on the sea emerged a short-ranged cruise missile, taking off from the deck of the ship in a cloud of white smoke.

"No.. Damn you!" Ichika snarled.

"This happened because of your decision. Now you have another decision. You can stop me. Or you can stop the missile. Better hurry and choose."

And with that she flew through the hole in the barrier and began to get away.

"That bastard.." Ichika mumbled.

"Ichika! You have to go get help!" Houki yelled.

And then he got that feeling again.

A feeling of loneliness.

He already knew that there was no one to help him because everyone else was locked within the arena stands and command tower.

He was the only one who could stop the missile.

"... I've got t-"

"NO!"

Houki interrupted him, knowing what he was going to say ahead of time.

"Please... Don't go by yourself.." she pleaded, a tear starting to well up in her right eye.

"... I'm sorry Houki..." he said, and turned to face her.

His eyes were opened, but tears were gushing from them down his face and dripping off his chin.

But he was smiling.

Houki and Cecilia both stared in bewilderment at him, unable to form any words towards Ichika's reaction.

"I'm sorry... I'm the only one who can do it.. I feel so alone now, just like those times back in elementary and middle school.. But I wasn't always alone. I had you, and Ling, and Ran and Dan to look out for me. When I came here, I had Chifuyu-sensei, Cecilia, Laura, Charlotte, Tatenashi, and Kanzashi. I haven't been alone since then.."

He wiped some tears away and continued on, "I'm happy for the friendship you all gave me. And that's why... I'm okay with saving all of you."

"Ichika..."

"Ichika-san.."

Both girls had tears welling up in their eyes now as they heard him speak more and more.

"I really wish I could stay, but I have something to do."

Before they could say anything to him, he exited through the hole in the barrier and flew in the direction of the missile.

_'No...'_ Houki thought.

_'No!..'_

_'No!'_

_'No! No! No!'_

"ICHIKAAAAAAAAA!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

She stopped moving altogether, then let her head hang as she sobbed.

Meanwhile over the Pacific Ocean, close to the cruise missile...

Ichika was now flying side by side with the warhead thanks to _Ignition Boost_.

Thankfully it was very high in the air and had not started to descend yet, so it was traveling at a reasonable speed that he could keep up with.

His plan was to push the warhead down into the Pacific, but in order to do that he would have to guide it the whole way.

_'I knew this before making that decision though..' _he thought wryly.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he got on top of the missile and began to exert pressure on it from above.

Slowly, the missile began to curve downwards.

After breaching a few clouds, he could see that he was still a ways off from the academy.

_'Thank goodness.'_

[Orimura! Orimura! What the hell are you doing!?]

"Chifuyu-sensei?"

Over the IS built in radio came the voice of his school teacher and adoptive big sister Chifuyu Orimura.

"I thought I told you to get in the hangar!"

He let a light smile fall on his face as he spoke calmly to her, "I'm sorry sensei, but I have to do this. It's the only way to protect the school. And everyone there."

"Idiot! What about you!?"

"Ah, sensei, you actually sound worried about me."

"I am, stupid! You're my student, and... and you're my little brother."

Ichika widened his eyes in shock.

Ever since being adopted by her, she had always treated him like a student, but not a brother.

This was the first time she had actually referred to him as her brother.

Despite the situation, it really made him feel happy inside.

"... I'm sorry, Chifuyu-sensei. Forgive me."

"Orimura!"

"I love you, Chifuyu-nee. I love all of you at IS Academy."

He turned off the communications, closed his eyes, and waited for what was to come.

Meanwhile at the command tower...

"Orimura! Orimura! Damn it!"

Chifuyu, with company of Maya, Laura, Ling, Kanzashi, and Tatenashi, all waited with bated breath to see what was going on.

"Shit, shit, shit! He turned off his communications!"

"What's going to happen to him?" Maya asked.

Chifuyu just buried her head in her hands and sat there.

"Chifuyu-sensei..."

"Guys. The missile.." Tatenashi pointed out.

It breached the last few remaining clouds and headed straight for the ocean surface.

It didn't take long for it to collide and when it did, it resulted in a large explosion that swallowed a large area.

Smoke plumed from the water's surface and fire danced around in small pockets where the fuel had landed on the water.

It did not look like there was anything left other than that.

"""..."""

"... I-I-I-I..." Ling began to say, but couldn't as she had to shut her eyes tight to try and hold back her tears.

"I-... Ichika..."

Everyone in the room lowered their heads and began to cry.

Chifuyu lifted her head wiped her face. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were puffy.

_'That idiot...'_ she thought, holding back her tears.

_I love you, Chifuyu-nee. I love all of you at IS Academy._

She heard those words echo in her mind again, and this time she didn't stop herself from letting the tears streak down her cheeks.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

**That's the first chapter. I don't really know how I feel about it. I guess it was okay for a story to begin. The fun part comes when I actually get to form the plot in the coming chapters. Read and review please and thank you.**


	3. Chapter 1 - A Year's Time

**Hey fellow readers. This is the first chapter. I'm actually a little surprised that I had the time to finish it so soon, but here it is. So I hope you all enjoy it.**

**I'm going to be doing some things a little different from the prologue. Firstly, I'll be specifying the setting of each particular part of the story. Unfortunately I do not know the year that I should specify, so I plan on just leaving that out. **

**I will also be specifying what perspective I am speaking from, because talking in a narrative voice all the time bores me. This just allows me to better express only the personal opinions of the character I am showcasing and their thoughts on certain issues and events.**

**So yeah. Here's Chapter One.**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Day: September 18. 6:46 pm. **

**Location: Pacific Ocean.**

** Perspective: Chifuyu.**

News of the terrorist attack on the IS Academy and the death of Ichika Orimura stunned the entire world.

The Japanese government made it a priority to find the boy, and declared Phantom Task a terrorist organization that should be brought to justice. They received support from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Australia. Together the nations formed a joint union to oppose and protect against further attacks from Phantom Task called UNAPT (United Nations Against Phantom Task).

After three days of removing debris from the rocket and searching for Ichika with no results to show for it, the search was officially called off by UNAPT. They predicted that if he did survive the explosion, he would have definitely drowned by now, and because of the current pattern on the coast, he could be as far North as the Aleutian Islands. I insisted that I be allowed to continue the search privately, and the Japanese government relented. I was given clearance and a small search team to continue looking for him.

A large service was held in his honor on the fourth day. The entire academy, all of his friends from before he went to IS Academy, and nearly the entire city turned up at his reception. It was not very comforting to have so many people's condolences, however; after all, the casket was buried without a body.

It was also broadcasted all over the world. On that day, nearly every nation halted any progression they were working on and mourned the loss of the world's first and only male IS pilot.

Those that knew Ichika as a close friend were all in the front row, and took the loss hard. From his elementary and middle school days, his best friend Dan Gotanda comforted his younger sister Ran. The personal pilots wept on one another, trying to find some consolation among each other. I do not think there was a single student or faculty member from the academy that had a dry eye. Even the majority of the city crowd was weeping.

I just looked down at the empty casket and regretted never telling him that I loved him too. I knew that crying would not bring him back, so I did my best to keep my emotions in check and maintain a straight face, but I could not keep a few stray tears from streaking down my cheeks.

_'I'll find you. I have to keep searching..'_ I thought to myself then. Following the reception I resumed my search for his body with the help of three government patrol boats and seven personal IS pilots who had volunteered to help search.

A week has passed since the tragic incident involving Ichika, and still no clues telling us whether he is alive or dead.

I stand in the captain's cabin of one of the patrol boats, staring down at the sonar screen, secretly hoping that something would be picked up.

[Orimura-sensei, it's getting dark. We will not be able to see anything in the darkness even with our IS' scanners and enhanced vision.] Tatenashi speaks to me over the transmission radio frequency.

[We cannot give up yet! We may be close to finding him!] Ling replies to her.

[I don't want to admit it, but Tatenashi-senpai is correct. We should go back and come again tomorrow.] Cecilia responds.

"Alright, return to the academy. We will continue the search tomorrow."

[[[Yes sensei!]]]

"Captain, please return to the port. We are done for today."

"Yes ma'am... Do you really think that you will find him?"

He asks me this, and as I am about to respond, I stop myself and really think about the odds of finding him. He has been missing for a little over a week now. There have been no signs of him or his IS, and because of the churning ocean currents, he could be anywhere in the Pacific.

"... I do not know, Captain.. I am beginning to lose hope that he may still be alive.."

"..."

He keeps silent, probably to let me "be alone" while I think. I walk to the window of the cabin and stare at the last few rays of sunlight before the sun disappears completely beyond the horizon.

_'I'm sorry Ichika..'_ I think, and hang my head while I wait to return to land.

**Date: September 18. 7:05 pm. **

**Location: Below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. **

**Perspective: Narrator.**

The continental shelf of the Pacific Ocean stretches a lengthy distance out before dropping off into a total abyss. Underneath the waters of where the patrol boats and IS were lies this shelf.

Approaching this shelf from out of the darkness of the deep waters emerges the cloaked outline of a vessel. Long and sleek, but also small and fast, it is barely noticeable in the dimness of the water. The only clue to tell that it is actually there is a slight shimmer that defines its outline.

The vessel gets closer and closer to the shelf ridge until it is mere inches from colliding with it. Then it drops the cloaking field, and it seems to shimmer into existence.

It is actually a dark blue submarine designed for few crew members. While lacking any weapons or firepower what-so-ever, the cloaking field prevents detection by sonar, making it ideal for stealth, salvage, and espionage.

Inside the sub is a crew of three women, all wearing aquatic suits and masks that hide most of their faces. They are distributed among three stations within the submarine: one at the radar and sonar setup, one at the communications station, and one at the controls.

"Sonar is picking up a faint reading, directly in front of us."

"Roger that. Switching on spotlights."

The woman at the radar and sonar setup says first, and the control girl responds and presses a button, causing four glaring white lights to pierce the darkness and illuminate the area of the shelf in front of the sub.

"... Hold on. I see it."

Reflecting off the bright lights are bits and pieces of a metal suit buried under the sand of the ridge.

"Activating the capture arms."

Control girl presses another button and grabs a different set of control sticks as metal arms deploy from beneath the sub. She moves the arms forward and secures them into the side of the ridge. Then she grabs the submarine controls and puts it in reverse.

The submarine begins to pull back, and as a result the mechanical arms pry the metal suit from the ridge. Once free, the residue sand begins to fall off the suit, revealing more metal and a body inside the suit.

The body has no definable features other than being human. It appears mangled and burnt all over the body. Some flesh, meat, and even bones look to be missing from the ribs, arms, and legs. It really is not a pleasant sight.

"Send a message to command. We found what we came for."

"Roger..." The comms girl began typing away at her keyboard and then spoke into a speakerphone, "This is the Blue Fin to Command Center. Ichika Orimura has been recovered. Project Omega can begin."

**Day: June 7 the following year. 11:48 am. **

**Location: IS Academy.**

** Perspective: Laura.**

Ever since UNAPT formed, Phantom Task attacks have all but ceased around the globe. They still have not apprehended the culprit of the Japanese 9/11 incident, and only a few of the organizations members have actually been captured and interrogated, but they have done well in preventing further attacks.

Thanks to their efforts, my second year at IS Academy has progressed rather smoothly. In fact, everyone has had a good year more or less.

The personal IS pilots were distributed evenly among the classrooms this year. As it turned out, I was placed in Class 2-C with Houki, Charlotte and Kanzashi ended up in Class 2-A, and Ling and Cecilia in Class 2-B.

Despite being in separate classrooms, we kept our friendship and rivalry among each other alive during the scheduled tournaments placed throughout the year. We never really realized how close we had become until after... he... was gone.

I feel my heart tug at me from within my chest, and I reflexively put my hand over it. It hurts to think about him. It always has, and I imagine it always will.

It isn't that I have not tried to forget about him (and I am ashamed to say that), but he was the perfect bride. No one will be able to replace him in my heart even if they tried.

Not that I would let anyone that close to me to begin with.

But I should be proud. My bride fought honorably, and died for my and school's sake.

_'Then why do I still feel bad when I think about him...'_

"Laura?"

"Laura-san?"

"Hm?"

I snap from my thoughts and look up at Cecilia and Charlotte who are sitting across from me at the lunch table. I had become so deep in my own thoughts that I forgot I was even at lunch with them.

"Are you okay Laura? You barely ate any of your food.." Charlotte says.

"Are you ill perhaps? Maybe you should go back to see the nurse," Cecilia suggests.

"Ah.. No, I am fine. I was thinking... About him.."

""Oh...""

The lunch table fell silent after my remark. It is true that we all have gotten better at controlling our emotions when speaking of him, but that does not mean we do not still get sad.

After his funeral service, every one of us came clean and said that we loved him. I was a little surprised by Ran and Tatenashi, but then again my bride was a shameless man. So, we can understand each other a lot easier now that we know we all feel the same way.

"It isn't easy to forget someone like him, is it?" Cecilia says more as a statement than a question.

"Yes. I wish I- .. I mean, we could have gotten the chance to tell him we all love him," Charlotte responds to her.

"Sometimes, I think about moving on, but it just hurts to much to forget about him."

"Mhm. I understand you."

I sit there and just listen to the two of them go back and forth. That is just how I am though. When I become sad, I do not talk. I simply listen.

"... Hey Cecilia, do you think that there is chance he is still alive?" Charlotte asks her.

"Eh? ... Hmm... I don't know, really.. I mean.. I want to say that he is, but.. he's been gone for almost a year... he could be... but I don't know..."

I stand up from my chair and capture both of their attention. "He's alive."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean Laura?"

"I said he is alive."

"We heard you the first time.." Cecilia pouts.

"What we mean is, what do you mean by that?"

"..."

I stand there for a few seconds, thinking, _'How do I know that?'_ Half a minute ago I was depressed, and now here I am trying to give hope to the two of them.

"... My bride will not have died so easily. I have a feeling in me that he is alright."

And with that, I gather my lunch onto the tray and leave the table in the direction of the trash bin.

_'... Yes. He has to be alive...'_ I think, and for the first time in a long time, I smile briefly.

**Date: June 7. 4:13 pm. **

**Location: IS Academy Arena One. **

**Perspective: Houki.**

I stand in one of the arenas provided by the academy in my IS Akatsubaki. In my hands I wield the dual blades _Amatsuki _and _Karaware_. I take a battle stance, and wait for my opponents to reveal themselves.

Suddenly, four silhouettes burst from the ground. I slash horizontally with _Karaware_ and cut them down with an energy wave.

A second group of hostiles jump out of the ground behind me. I point _Amatsuki_ at each target and fire a concentrated laser at them, destroying them instantly.

Three emerge from the ground near me, and move toward me hastily. I cut through one easily, then decapitate another. I deploy my hidden foot blade to slice the third across the abdomen, and then cross chop my swords to the body, cutting it into tiny pieces.

From farther away, on the other side of the arena, a larger enemy appears from the ground, at least three times the size of the others. I dematerialize my katanas and focus to call forth _Thousand Pierces_. I exert a half of my energy output into the crossbow, and take aim at the giant hostile. I pull the trigger, and a red laser explodes from the bow, piercing through the enemy and causing it to explode.

I dematerialize _Thousand Pierces_ and survey the arena. All across the arena are the remains of several practice dummies and targets that were destroyed by my hands.

[Well done, Shinonono. End drill.]

Orimura-sensei's voice blares on the speakerphone, and I deactivate .

The anti-terrorism group called UNAPT urged the principal of IS Academy to make a form of military training a part of the curriculum. Because of the possible threat of another Phantom Task attack, he relented and integrated basic military training into the school curriculum.

The students all have to take part in an hour of drills and practice that push us and test our abilities. The personal IS pilots are supposed to get the more difficult training regimen, but from my viewpoint, it is not too challenging at all.

I walk over to the doors underneath the one of the launch platforms and head inside.

In truth, I feel like all of this training is a big help, but it is being wasted. We practice and train hard each day, and yet we rarely ever go out to fight. Although Phantom Task's activities remain unseen, its presence is still out there in the world. What is the point of raising an army if it is not used to fight?

"Hey!~ Houki!"

The sound of Ling's voice snaps me out of my own musings, and my head turns in the direction of her voice. She is with Kanzashi and Tatenashi, and the three of them are waving me over. Not wanting to be rude, I run over to greet them.

"Good afternoon Ling, Kanzashi-san, Tatenashi-senpai."

"Good afternoon... Houki-san.."

"Greetings Houki-chan. How are you today?"

"I'm well. I just finished my training for today. What about you three?"

"Kanzashi and I just finished. Tatenashi-senpai was waiting for us when we exited our arena."

"Oh, I see. So what did you call me over for?" I ask Ling.

"We wanted to know if you would like to walk back to the dorms with us after you get changed."

"Hm, sure! Just give me a second."

After I change out of my IS suit back into my uniform, I rejoin the three girls and we walk back to the dormitories together. We engage in idle chit chat to pass the time as we keep walking.

"So I was in the city this weekend shopping for some snacks to keep in my room, and this guy practically runs up to me and declares that I am the most beautiful thing he's ever seen! Can you believe it? He sure has some nerve!" Ling says to us.

"Really?.. What did you do?.."

"I punched him so hard he flew off into the distance! Serves him right, that insensitive bastard!" She folds her arms across her chest and huffs, "Besides, he didn't even come close in comparison.. to..."

She stops just short of the end of her sentence, but the three of us combined do not need three guesses to know what she was going to say.

"Yes, yes, Orimura-kun was one of a kind," Tatenashi-senpai softly speaks.

"Are you still not over him... onee-san?.."

"I suppose not. But why would you ask unless you weren't yourself?" she asks Kanzashi teasingly, making her blush and divert her eyes.

"N-No! I-It's not like t-that! I, um.. w-well, it is, k-kinda... b-b-but it isn't that I miss him.. well, y-yeah I do..."

She stutters this out while turning a bright shade of red all over her face.

"Haha~ just kidding. onee-chan is so cute!"

"Y-You!"

Kanzashi puffs her cheeks and pouts, but Tatenashi wraps her arms around her in a hug. Three seconds later, they are both smiling.

"We understand Kanzashi-san. We all miss him." I tell her.

"Hey, how often do you all think about him?" Ling asks us.

"Every time a tournament comes around... I think about the first time he asked me to be his partner..." Kanzashi says.

"Hmm, I often sit in my office and think about all the times I would tease him in and out of school." Tatenashi recalls. "What about you, Houki-chan?"

"Me? Hmm.."

_'How often do I think about him?'_ I think, and the truth is, there is not a passing moment where I do not think about him.

When I am sad, I think of the white ribbon he gave me on my birthday last school year, and I become happy again. When I am angry, I think of all the times I would threaten him with my bokken. When I am happy, I always think of the moment on the rocky shore when we almost shared a kiss. And most importantly, he is the last thing on my mind every night before I fall asleep and the first thing on my mind every morning when I wake up.

"Houki?"

"Houki-san?.."

"... I am always thinking about him..." I tell them with a faint smile and wistful look in my eyes.

They must have seen the truth in my eyes because all three of them just looked at me without saying anything.

_'One day.. I'll see him again..'_

We did not talk much after that on our way back to our rooms, but the four of us had a warm nostalgic feeling from thinking about our loved one again.

**Date: June 7. 8:32 pm. **

**Location: IS Academy. **

**Perspective: Charlotte.**

"... Um, do you know why Orimura-sensei called us to her office at this late of an hour?" I ask the two young ladies on either side of me, and I get a negative head nod in response.

Chifuyu-sensei had called for us to come and see her at her office. She said that it was important that we come at once. Whatever it is - or whatever we did - must be pretty serious.

The other two seem cool and collected, but I am so nervous I'm squirming as I walk. I do not think I did anything that would be considered a violation of the school rules. But, I still have an uneasy feeling that we have done something and we are about to be punished for it.

"I doubt that whatever it is she called us for is about us. It is not like the Instructor to call us out to do so. She would come to us if that was the case."

"I-Is that so?"

Thanks to Laura's words, I feel a bit more calm.

_'Yeah. That's it. It's probably nothing.'_

"We're here." Houki says, and points at the large wooden door directly in front of us at the end of the hallway we are walking through.

Seeing her office and the name "ORIMURA" written across the middle, I subconsciously gulp and shiver.

_'What if we really did do something wrong though? Would we get in a lot of trouble? Or worse, kicked out of the academy?'_

Meanwhile, Houki and Laura have both already entered her office, leaving me outside by myself.

"He-Hey! Wait up!" I call after them, and I dash in to catch up with them.

"There are no lights on in her office. The only lights at all come from computer screens and buttons and knobs. Computers are lined up all along the walls, displaying all sorts of coded information and messages. At the far end of the room is a massive screen, in front of which are Orimura-sensei standing up and Yamada-sensei at the computer controls.

"Good. Now that you are all here, I have an assignment for you three." she says briskly, only turning her head to look at us with one eye.

"Huh? An assignment?" '_Phew, not getting in trouble!'_

"There have been eye witness reports of four IS flying above an island not too far from here. The Japanese government has given the OK for me to deploy a small squad to investigate. I have chosen you three," she briefs to us.

"Understood. What would you have us do, Instructor?"

_*pop!*_

"Oww... Sorry, Orimura-sensei.."

"Better. Now then, as of right now the four IS are flying over the island, and not moving to anywhere else it seems. Also, it is highly likely that they are Phantom Task..."

At the mention of that wretched name, all three of us tensed.

"If it is in fact Phantom Task, you are to engage and hold off until reinforcements arrive. I trust in your abilities and teamwork that you three will be enough to handle them until help comes."

"""Yes!"""

"Good then. Get outside and get ready to deploy your IS. We begin the mission in five minutes. Dismissed."

**Date: June 7. 8:56 pm. **

**Location: Coast of mainland Japan. **

**Perspective: Charlotte.**

After taking off from the academy, our team of three made a straight line toward the island identified by our navigation systems. The island came into view three minutes after crossing the coastline. The island itself was nothing special. It was small in comparison to other islands in the Pacific, but large enough that a small palm forest had grown over it.

[Targets in sight, 800 meters.] Laura speaks through the transmission, and I bring my gaze to the skies above the island.

Four silhouettes are gliding through the night sky right above the forest, twisting and turning among each other as if they were dancing. And then there are fireworks bursting all around them.

_'... Wait, those aren't fireworks... They're missile explosions!'_

As we get closer and closer, the smoke trails of missiles become more easily defined as they zip through the air just before exploding.

"It looks like they're already fighting."

[Agreed. But who or what are they fighting?] Houki asks rhetorically.

We fly closer still, and get a better look at the four IS units. Three of them are stolen Uchigane Niigata that were taken from the Kuromachi Machinery Development company when some Uchigane IS were recycled to make them.

The last one is an IS that I have never seen before. It is much larger in comparison to the other three, and the color is white all over. There are no visible weapons, but it looks like it has a set of "wings" that give it additional speed and a full head helmet to cover the pilot's face.

[Confirmed three Uchigane Niigata and one unknown IS. The three Uchigane Niigata seem to be in an engagement with the other IS.] Laura radios back to Orimura-sensei.

[Understood. Proceed with caution. It is likely that they are Phantom Task then. Reinforcements will be sent in no less than 20 minutes.] Orimura-sensei transmits to all of us.

[["Roger"]]

"How do you want to approach this, Laura? Houki?"

[They don't seem to have noticed us yet. Maybe we can launch a surprise attack.] Laura suggests.

[It's no good, they've seen us!] Houki shouts.

My sight is drawn to one of the Uchigane Niigata as it fires a volley of missiles in our direction.

"Watch out!"

[Disperse!] Laura yells.

We all fly off in different directions, dividing up the missiles amongst us. Using my assault rifle _Vent_, I aim my bullets with precision accuracy to destroy each missile as it comes close to me.

Once all of them chasing me are destroyed, I return my attention back to the four enemy IS just in time to see the white IS touch the pilot that fired her missiles at us. The next instant a transparent white sphere encases her, and then gives off a light as bright as the sun before fading and revealing an empty sphere.

"What.. just happened?" I ask myself.

The pilot, the IS; both of them are gone now. I cannot see any trace of her anywhere.

I fix my eyes upon the white IS. Looking at it, the pilot looks relaxed, yet alert and focused. The way she moves is smooth and flowing as I watch her weave in and out of missiles and explosions. It really is a magnificent sight.

[Charlotte!] I hear Houki call.

I search behind me and find her flying towards me along with Laura. [What just happened?] she asks.

"I... don't really know.. The white IS used some sort of weapon that made one of the Uchigane Niigata disappear completely."

"How is that possible?" Laura asks me. They are close enough to me now that I can hear what they say without the radio.

"Like I said, I don't know. I'm still trying to understand how she did it.."

"Hey, more missiles!" Houki screams.

It looks like the other two Uchigane Niigata decided to target the three of us with a large payload of missiles, probably because we are all clustered so close together.

_'We won't be able to dodge all of them!'_

As I think that, the white IS appears in front of us with a speed far beyond anything I have ever seen. The pilot spreads her arms out in front of her, and a transparent barrier forms in front of her that expands until it covers a diameter of over 25 meters. All of the missiles impact on the barrier and explode harmlessly against it.

I don't know about the other two girls, but I can only stare with my mouth open in awe at the sight before me. Words cannot describe the sight of the white IS using a shield of light to defend us. If I had to use a word to attempt to describe, it would be magnificent, or beautiful.

As the last missiles collide with the wall of light, the pilot drops her arms and the barrier begins to dissipate into light particles. She then dashes forward into the smoke cloud, blowing it away from the force of her acceleration. She catches one of the other pilots by surprise and touches her stomach. She too is imprisoned in a transparent white sphere right before disappearing in a brilliant flash of white light.

"RAAAAAGGHHH! DAMN YOU!" the last Uchigane Niigata pilot screams at the top of her lungs. From this distance, her eyes turn completely red and she charges straight at the white IS with the standard halberd for her own IS.

The mysterious pilot simply dodges to the right, and the woman keeps going forward straight toward me.

"Charlotte, dodge!"

"Charlotte!"

I hear Laura and Houki cry from behind me, but she is already too close for me to evade. In that moment, everything seems to slow down. I see everything in a finer detail, in a better scope.

I can see my body flinching in slow motion as the pilot's halberd is only a few feet away from hitting me. I can see her eyes; the blood rage that makes them glow with hatred and anger. I can see my reflection in her eyes, the terrified look on my face and the fear in my own eyes.

And then...

_*SPLRRGH!*_

I stare wild-eyed at the pilot in front of me, with her halberd inches away from my chest. The rage in her eyes slowly fades into pure emptiness as she coughs up blood and her body goes limp. Protruding from her bloody chest is a meter long sword pf pure energy, and attached to the handle of the sword is the hand of the white IS pilot.

We hover in the air in the same positions for who knows how long before she deactivates her sword and the Uchigane Niigata and the girl both fall to the beach below. Then we just stare at each other, and I wonder what will happen now that the three enemies are gone.

""Charlotte!""

Laura and Houki both appear in front of me and ready their weapons at the mysterious IS and pilot. However, she does nothing to retaliate against them. Instead, she slowly turns around and starts flying away slowly.

"Hey, wait!"

I call out to her, and she stops and turns around halfway to look at me.

"Who are you?..."

"..."

It has only just occurred to me that she had never spoken once during the entire fight. She continues to remain silent, and instead of giving a verbal answer, she reaches across her body to pull off a piece of her armor, and she throws it in our direction.

"Look out!" Laura yells, and swats it away toward the ocean.

"Wait a minute!" I yell in response, and dive down after that piece of armor she threw.

"Charlotte! What are you-?"

"That's her answer to my question!"

I catch the armor in the air and land safely on the beach below. Laura and Houki follow close behind. I turn back around and look up at the white IS just before it flies away at supersonic speed and out of our sight.

"What is it Charlotte?" Houki asks me.

"Hmm... It looks like a letter from the Greek alphabet maybe?"

"Really? Which one?"

"Let me see... That's the symbol for 'Omega.'" Laura clarifies.

"Omega? How does that tell us anything about who she is?" Houki asks.

I continue to look down at the black symbol engraved on the white armor piece. _'Something really weird is going on here...'_ I think to myself.

"We should get back to the academy. Orimura-sensei will want to know what happened." I tell the girls. They both nod in agreement, and we take off again in the direction of IS Academy.

**Date: June 7. 9:10 pm. **

**Location: Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. **

**Perspective: Narrator.**

Above the skies of the Pacific Ocean flies the white IS that a few minutes ago took out three other IS units. It is flying at speeds that are on par with those of a jet airliner, which is almost unheard of in terms of IS development.

The pilot determining that she is a safe enough distance away, begins to decelerate to a cruising speed. Through the HUD inside the mask, she accesses communications and begins transmitting.

"This is Omega One. Objective completed." says the pilot in a deep masculine voice.

[Excellent work Omega One. RTB for a debriefing.] a more feminine voice relays over the radio, and then the transmission is dropped and he shuts off his communications.

"... Who were those girls?.. And why did it feel right to give them my emblem?" he says in a hushed tone as he continues to fly toward the horizon.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**There is the first chapter. Hope all you readers like it. I actually had time to write this one, but it may be a while before I can put up another chapter unfortunately. We'll just have to see how busy I am with college and stuff.**

**Read and Review please. I appreciate positive and negative feedback, as long as it helps me to improve my writing.**


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